


The Weirdo In The Woods

by FangirlingStrangerThings



Series: Mileven Week 2018 [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: El is Mike, F/M, Fluff, Genderbend, Mike is El, Mileven, Mileven Week, Mileven Week 2018, Opposite Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 06:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16571429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlingStrangerThings/pseuds/FangirlingStrangerThings
Summary: We revisit November 7th 1983.The party have been playing in the woods when Will disappears. El and the party find a strange boy, someone who our leading lady finds herself completely captivated by.Who is this scared boy?





	The Weirdo In The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 of Mileven Week! And today we have an identity swap and look at what would have happened if it was El who found Mike in the woods! (Yes, that does sound like I'm advertising a documentary haha)
> 
> I've also incorporated Max into this, because let's be honest she's amazing.

 

The Weirdo In The Woods

* * *

 

 

_November 6_ _th_ _1983_

 

"Will!" El shouted, her voice echoing through the dense quiet forest before Max, Lucas and Dustin called for him too. Their tones raised and slowly turning into concern.

They had been playing hide and seek where the Denfield woods twisted into what the party called Mirkwood. El knew she wasn't meant to have travelled this far away from the cabin where she lived, but what her dad, the Chief of Police didn't know wouldn't kill him.

"Maybe he went home," Dustin reasoned, unable to shake the nerves from his voice.

"Why would he just go  _home_?" Max scoffed as she zipped up her jacket with a shiver. The approaching evening was causing them all to shudder from the falling temperatures.

"Yeah, we were in the middle of hide and seek," Lucas added in confusion as they continued to search the woods, trying not to leave any stone unturned.

"Will!" El tried again, getting louder until the birds in the high nests flapped their wings and flew off. The sky was turning deeper blue, indicating they were running out of time before their parents returned from work and noticed they were missing.

"Oh man, look at those storm clouds," Dustin groaned as he pointed to where a heavy mass of dark grey clouds were starting to roll in. The sight only strengthened El's determination to find their missing friend.

"We  _have_  to keep looking," she said with a sharp exhale, her smalls fists clenching as she continued her brisk walk through the now unfamiliar woods.

"It's gonna be dark soon," Max muttered as they treaded through the forest, pushing branches away from their faces and crunching leaves under their feet. "Has anyone got a flashlight?"

Lucas halted, eagerly pushing the straps of his backpack down his arms. "Yeah I do," he answered breathlessly. He always seemed to get breathless around Max. She suggested he get an inhaler.

He put the bag on the floor, unzipping it with slightly shaky fingers as he sifted through the contents and pulled out the flashlight, grinning like a fool as he handed it over to Max.

"Thank you," she replied giving him a quick smile, hoping the others wouldn't see.

"What the hell is in that bag?" Dustin asked with burning curiosity as he leaned over the open backpack.

"Oh," Lucas answered with a proud smile as he started routing through the contents. "Binoculars from NAM, army knife always from NAM, hammer, camouflage bandana  _and_ the wrist rocket."

El, Max and Dustin all paused simply to stare at Lucas, blinking in confusion as the silence filled Mirkwood once more.

"I'm sorry…are we trying to find Will or the Demogorgon?" Dustin asked, breaking the awkward silence as the party all smiled weakly, thinking of their long days spent playing D&D at the cabin. El was their Dungeons Master, her creativity being the best to think of elaborate campaigns for them to enjoy.

Lucas sighed in disappointment that the party wasn't more impressed with his stock as he forcefully zipped up the backpack and hauled it over his shoulder. " _Be prepared_ ," he said with a pointed look at Dustin, reprimanding him with the scouts saying.

"Hey! I  _am_  prepared," Dustin called back, already pulling off his own backpack.

Max snorted in amusement, her blue eyes flickering over the bag that Dustin was hurrying to open. "Oh really? What have your brought?"

"All righty," he replied in a breezy voice, paying no mind to Max's teasing tone. "So we've got Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana and trail mix."

"Seriously?" Lucas cringed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"We need energy for our travels!" Dustin shot back in frustration.

"Yeah like you're really gonna share," Max mumbled before a wicked smirk curved on her lips. Before Dustin could respond, El hurried to speak.

"Guys this doesn't matter! We need to find Will. He's out there somewhere and we just need to find him okay?!"

The party all nodded remorsefully and once again they were on the move, trying to ignore the fast approaching thunderclouds as they shouted Will's name into the darkening woods. It didn't look as friendly now, with the branches throwing haunting shapes around, the increasing cold make their breath come out in wisps of vapour.

Max and Dustin fought over the flashlight as the sun disappeared behind the heavy grey clouds and El sighed exasperatedly as she took the torch from them, pointing it ahead as they carried on walking.

"Will!" El called out just as the downpour began. She looked up at the sky, the splatter of rain drops dripping down her face.

"We should turn back," Dustin shouted over the sounds of the storm.

"No, we've come too far!" Max called back, blinking away the rain water that hit her eyelashes and clouded her vision.

"We should get help from Will's mom," Dustin conceded as he shivered in his jacket.

"We can do this ourselves!" Max shouted back.

"Max is right!" Lucas nodded, his eyes determined.

A rustle of leaves caught El's attention, her hazel eyes looking quickly around the forest.

"You're only saying Max is right because you like her!" Dustin teased while Lucas gasped, his eyes widening.

"I-I don't!" he spluttered out.

"Do!"

" _Don't_!"

"Guys shut up!" El hushed her friends, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I hear something," she whispered, her heart starting to race.

There was a louder rustling of leaves, the sound of hurried footsteps as the party whirled around in unison.

El thought she knew what it was like to feel captivated. She had been captivated by a pink pretty dress, Eggo Extravaganza and by her own imagination. But she had never been captivated by a person before.

Especially by a  _boy_.

And certainly not by a pair of eyes; so emotive and so open to her in that moment, that it felt like everything else had disappeared.

His short dark hair was plastered to his face, his skin so pale he looked almost like a ghost as rain water swirled down his hollow cheeks. His full lips were slightly parted as he caught his breath, and his eyes. His dark eyes were startled, wide and scared, but also relieved. As if he had been looking for her and  _finally_  they were reunited.

El couldn't shake the feeling, but suddenly she felt as if she had been looking for him too.

* * *

 

"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" El asked the boy calmly, after having convinced him to come back to the cabin with her and the party. He was sat on the couch and he hadn't spoken yet, seeming even more on edge as the storm pounded against the low roof. His thin body would jump with every flash of lightning.

El couldn't stop the warmth she felt in her chest, a feeling building inside of her to _protect_  him.

Her own natural instinct didn't stop the party's inquisitive and sometimes suspicious questioning.

"Where's your hair?" Dustin asked with concern, noticing the boy's very short hairstyle. "Do you have cancer?"

"Did you run away?" Lucas questioned, his eyes taking in this boy cautiously.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" El pressed on, her gaze gentle as she remained worried for the poor boy who was grey shorts and a drenched Benny's Burgers shirt. His chest was heaving while his dark eyes zoomed from one face to the next.

"Is that  _blood_?" Max whispered in confusion as she stepped forward, her hand stretching out to where there was a red stain on the collar of the yellow shirt.

El immediately noticed the look of panic on the boy's face and quickly knocked Max's hand away. "Stop it! You're freaking him out!"

"He's freaking  _me_  out!" Max countered with exasperation as she flailed her arms.

"I bet he's  _deaf_!" Dustin said helpfully before smacking his hands together near the boy's face making him jump back in surprise. El frowned at Dustin and looked back at the boy, finding it difficult  _not_ to look at him.

"Not deaf…" Lucas muttered, rolling his eyes in frustration.

El looked around at her friends, watching how they looked at the boy like he was an interesting animal they could observe. Her protective nature over him kicked in once more and she exhaled sharply.

"That's _enough_ , all right?" El warned her friends before turning back to the boy who was now focusing solely on her, his dark eyes widening slightly and his lips parting as he tried to control his breathing. "He's just  _scared_ , and cold."

As El stared at the boy's drenched clothes an idea hit her, and she hurried to her bedroom. Her dad sometimes teased her for her love of clothing that could be considered more masculine like big sweaters and loose sweatpants. El didn't care, because they were comfy, and it didn't matter how dirty they got when she climbed the trees around the cabin.

She hurried to her clean laundry, picking up a navy-blue sweater and grey sweatpants, thinking they would probably fit the boy as he looked a lot thinner than even petite El was.

His eyes were on her the moment she came back into the room, his gaze darting between the clothes and her face. El couldn't help but smile slightly as she carefully handed the clothing over. "Here, these are clean okay."

The boy's expression was almost nervous as he took the clothes, his eyes widening at the feel of the material beneath his fingers. El's lips parted slightly as she watched him brush the sweater against his cheek, as if never having felt something as soft. It _did_  something to her; her heart beating foolishly.

The boy carefully placed El's clothes to the side and stood up from the coach, the party watching him carefully, all of them silent for the moment.

His hands reached for his shorts and in one fluid motion he went to tug them down.

"No, no, no!" El shouted, her hands gripping his forearms to stop him.

"Oh my  _god_!" Max squealed as she and the boys turned around.

"That's not right man!" Lucas shouted, keeping his back turned while Dustin shook his head in shock.

El felt oddly breathlessly as she caught the boy's gaze, shocked by how confused he looked. How could he not know that it wasn't appropriate to undress in front of them all?

But that feeling of protectiveness was flickering in her heart once again and instead of reprimanding him, she sighed and turned her gaze to the bathroom. "See over there?" El asked calmly as she pointed to a door just off from the living room. "That's the bathroom.  _Privacy_. Get it?"

The boy stared at El for a moment, his eyes searching her face before some kind of recognition flashed into the dark orbs that she now realised up this close were a rich red amber.

He grabbed the clothes and walked slowly towards the bathroom, El hesitantly following him as Max, Lucas and Dustin slowly turned around, gaping at each other in shock of the weird boy's behaviour.

He was now stepping into the bathroom, curiosity flicking at his pale features as he stared up at the walls and the white painted ceiling. El gave him a moment before reaching for the door knob, carefully going to close the door before it was brought to an abrupt stop by the boy's hand.

They stared at each other, El's eyes surprised and the boy's expression panicked. "You don't want it closed?" she asked in confusion. Where was this boy _from_?

"No."

El blinked, stunned by his simple word but also captivated by his soft tone. She smiled ever so slightly, "Oh, so you  _can_  speak." El appraised the situation for a moment, before a simple solution came to her. "Okay well…how about we just keep the door…" She started to move the door, their eyes staying connected as if seeing her gentle gaze was giving the boy strength. "Just like this." El added, leaving the door open a crack as he continued to look at her, his palm resting against the edge of the door.

"Is that better?" she asked him hopefully, wanting whatever his concerns were to be lifted.

"Yes," the boy said with a ghost of a smile, making El nod in relief before turning away to give him the privacy she had just explained.

She hurried back over to Max, Dustin and Lucas who were shooting her confused and stunned expressions.

"This is  _mental_." Max said crossing her arms and shaking her head in disapproval.

"At least he can talk." El defended both the boy and herself.

Lucas snorted, "he said no and yes!"

"He tried to get naked!" Dustin choked. " _Naked_!"

El rolled her eyes, sighing slightly as she tried not to blush.

"There's something seriously wrong with him. Like wrong in the head!" Max whispered, tapping her finger at her temple.

El felt her concern for the boy filling her chest as she argued with her friends, over where he had come from, where he was going and why El had chosen to bring him into her home. The discussion came to an abrupt ending when she decided to tell them that she was going to have the boy stay the night.

"Are you crazy?!" Max spluttered in shock, her blue eyes so wide it looked like they might pop out of her skull. "You can't stay  _alone_  with a boy! He's the weirdo we found in the woods."

El huffed in frustration and crossed her own arms, feeling defiant. "He's  _not_  a weirdo. And I won't be alone, dad will be here soon."

"I doubt the Chief is going to take kindly to a weirdo in the house," Lucas snorted in amusement, his eyes glancing over at the bathroom door for a moment.

"Well he's not  _going_ to find out. I'll put the boy in my blanket fort and put the sheet down, dad will never know."

"You know this isn't going to end well, right?" Max muttered, shaking her head and sighing heavily. But there was no stopping El, she was determined and courageous. And somehow helping this boy, was helping her too. She was curious about him and wanted to  _help_.

Once the party had left with mutters of "crazy" and "I wouldn't let a weird boy stay in my house," El had finally coerced the scared boy into the blanket fort and carefully handed him a blanket.

He smiled slightly, his dark eyes meeting hers. "Hey," she said breathlessly from where she was knelt in front of him. "I never asked your name."

He rubbed his left wrist with his right palm but kept El's gaze, "Michael," he croaked out, his eyes vulnerable, drawing her in.

"Michael," El said with a slight smile. "Okay…well I'm El, short for Eleanor. Um, why don't I call you Mike? Short for Michael."

Mike nodded his head in understanding, a very small quirk of his lips making El realise he wanted to smile. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach and took a deep breath. "Um…okay, well good night Mike."

El got up carefully, leaning forward to unhook the sheet so that it would cover the front of the fort. Just before she went to pull down the cover, she heard a soft, "Night El."

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am sorry this is sooo short! It's my mum's birthday this weekend and today we've gone away to a lovely lodge in the woods! It's beautiful, but my 2 year old nephew has been attached to my hip which had made it so very hard to write. Unless you wanted me to include the moments when he kept taping on my keyboard and wrote nonsense haha
> 
> But I do love him and I want to cherish my time with my family.
> 
> Hopefully I will have more time to spend on the theme tomorrow!


End file.
